About Me

I have been providing individual and group psychotherapy in Seattle as a licensed psychologist for over 20 years. After graduating from the University of Montana with a PhD in Clinical Psychology, I completed a one-year post-doctoral fellowship in psychosocial rehabilitation at the VA hospital in Palo Alto. Eager to return to the Pacific Northwest, I moved to Seattle for a post-doctoral fellowship in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) at the Evidence Based Treatment Centers of Seattle (EBTCS). I later became a staff psychologist at EBTCS, primarily within the DBT clinic. Besides providing individual DBT, I led numerous skills training groups to adults and families where I taught mindfulness, communication, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance skills. I also worked in Marsha Linehan’s lab at the University of Washington (the BRTC) both as a research therapist and as a supervisor to graduate students.
In my years as a therapist, I have enjoyed helping people become more present to their lives, more accepting of themselves, and more aware of their emotions and their values. I have observed amazing transformation in clients. It is an honor when people allow me to be present to their pain, their joys, and their successes.
In my personal life, I love hiking, swimming in lakes, traveling, and/or hanging out with my husband and step-son. Volunteerism is a values-aligned activity, so I am one of those people who DOES join the HOA Board and I have a great time helping out regularly at Phinney Neighborhood Association events (BINGO Karaoke!). But I also enjoy slowing down like those in the Mediterranean – savoring fresh food, regularly connecting with family, friends, and neighbors, and enjoying the simple pleasures with a stroll down the street or a cappuccino in the cafe.
